cduluk

I stumbled upon this ad on craigslist the other day for an OEM hitch from an 05 Rx330 (which will fit on the 350). http://providence.craigslist.org/pts/1512747083.html He' in Rhode Island but maybe he can ship it to you? It's worth a try maybe... He's asking $100

I've never heard of this happening before It's gotta be a computer issue, not really sure what's sending bad signals though.

My guess is that you're not registered as the "primary" driver, or your deductible has been increasing? 7 infractions in 4 years, 6 of which were your fault, and no increase in your rate? If I recall, you're under 25 years of age too aren't you? Either you're not getting the full story, or you better send one heck of a Christmas card to your insurance company! Actually, scratch that idea, don't do anything that might draw attention to yourself. Because if your rates honestly haven't moved with this kind of score card, then you'd best keep hiding in the cracks! ;) I'm not sure if i'm a primary driver, all i know is that i am on my parent's plan. They've been with this company for, well it's gotta be over 20yrs plus, for auto, house and life... and the only infraction on their record is from my mom's speeding ticket from over 10 years ago. My mom's also pretty close with our agent there, could that have something to do with it? My parents have 4 cars in their name- My mom's, my dad's, mine, and an extra Toyota pick-up truck we use for plowing or carrying junk around etc. According to the insurance, i'm "supposed" to be the primary driver of the pick-up (because it's the least expensive), and my dad's supposed to be the driver of his car and my mom's (most expensive), and my mom's supposed to be the primary driver of my car. I guess it looks better on paper for me to be driving the cheapest car since i'm 20yrs old. But it's been 2 years and 1 month since my last ticket- i'm really trying to improve :) And 2 years since my last accident (that was my fault involved with another car). Only claims since then were from last year when i accidentally sideswiped a hydrant, and when my car was keyed this summer... I remember when i got my past ticket, i went to my insurance co to talk to them about it (to see if it would increase rates) and they told me they go over everything once a year, and that sometimes they check, and sometimes they don't. Don't really know what that means, but apparently they didn't check because our rates haven't increased at all :)

So you're saying if i put winter tires on the Rx400h (with better grip) the wheels won't slip as much, therefore the computer won't feel the need to stop power to the wheels? ... AKA the computer only stops power when it senses slipping? I guess that makes sense, but i still think there's gotta be a better solution. Is there ANY secret programming feature or some other way to trick the computer in times like this? Can i run some wiring that would allow me to press a button that would break the circuit for the skid control or something? Is there a fuse that controls this "computer" issue that i could unplug when i really need power up a hill? What's the actual "system" that stops power to the wheels when it detects slippage? Is it "VSC" (or 400h equivalent), is it the speed sensor? I mean, if i can run a toggle switch to turn this "system" off for a few minutes when i really need it... that seems like a good idea to me. I just don't know which system actually controls this. <_<

That's awesome! I'm glad everything was done properly- my biggest worry is that if i have it done, they'll scratch everything up... Did they tell you if they replaced the part with another OEM one (that could fail in the future) or if they put in a newer generation part that won't fail?

Yeah, the Rx300 was awesome in the snow. I've never owned a Subaru or Jeep, but for what i needed it for, the Rx300 handled snowy weather just fine. The Rx400h is fine also until the computer shuts power to the wheels on a slope. It would be fine if i could just bypass the computer. It's not a tire issue, it's a computer issue. After a few tries, i did seem to trick the computer and the 400h went up the hill like nobody's business! What exactly needs to be done to the speed sensor to get it to work? It's gotta be something more complicated than that...

I too can't tell if the auto dimming mirror works or not on my Rx400h. I've tried driving with it set to ON and OFF, but don't really notice a difference. All i know is that i don't get blinded, so it must be working <_<

The factory DENSO slim ballasts are the only ballasts that will fit in the housing between the AFS motor and the bottom. The ballast fits into the bottom cover, and there isn't any room between it and the motors... I just checked as i have a set of Rx headlights for a retro i'm working on...

So wait, your Rx330 has the factory HID lights, and one of the ballasts is blown? You can't just get any average ballast to replace it. Well, you could- just the wiring would be different and the "warm-up time" would differ from the other headlight. It wouldn't be worth it. Ballasts aren't all the same. Some take longer to light-up the bulb to max brightness (the Lexus factory DENSO ballasts are some of the quickest). So if you had one headlight with a "DENSO" ballast and the other with let's say a "M a t s u s h i t a" ballast (with spaces because the forum bleeps out the letters s h i and t), upon start-up, one will look purple and the other blue, etc. until it was fully warmed up. Have you had the headlights apart yet? Have you done any testing to confirm it is the ballast that's blown? If you've opened them up then you probably know how everything's wired in there. Just search eBay for a Rx330/350/400h Denso ballast, you should be able to get one for <$100 or so. It must come from the 04-09 RX as the Denso ballasts for other models may have different wiring. And I don't think they're side specific...

Yeah, i know snow tires would probably be an improvement, i just don't think they're worth it (since i don't drive in snow enough). I'm just trying to figure out if there's anything else (simple) that can be done to fix the car itself rather than the tires...

I would NOT suggest you just get a kit and install an HID bulb in your present housings. The 00-01 ES300's came with two different headlights (which most don't know). Some 00-01 ES300's came with HID from the factory, which used different headlights built-in with AFS motors and HID reflector units. And some ES300's (like yours) came with halogen headlights from the factory. Here's the halogen unit (which is what you have) And here's the HID unit The HID headlights are a direct fit into your car, you'd just need to do some minor wiring to do the conversion. I believe the ballasts are built into the headlights (but check first). Search ebay for 00 01 headlights xenon and you'll find plenty of them. When you get them, just wire the + and - that goes to your present low beam bulb into the ballast of the HID headlights, and wire the + and - that go to your present high beam to the HID hight beam, and the same for the turn signal. The HID headlight units will look OEM (because they are lol) and the beam pattern will be perfect as the reflectors are designed for an HID bulb. Good luck!

What is your need for them? If it's to protect the bumper from minor hits in parallel parking situations, i'd avoid the tiny A-Bars (like the one i've got on my Rx400h) because they're held on at only a few points and probably won't protect much. If you get the wrap-around type it might be a little better with protection.

Can you get them to do it out of good will? Lexus dealers have a budget in their "good will" warranty policy to cover stuff like this for good customers. Are they trying to tell you this is normal "wear and tear"? If so, just ask if it's a common problem (which they'd reply it ISN'T) and then ask them how it's normal wear and tear if they've never seen it before...

Try: http://www.car-part.com/ You can find any part for any vehicle from junkyards in your area. If that doesn't work, try ebay. Just avoid after-market parts as they'll never be perfect...

I've got the Michelin tires on it now which aren't very old. My Rx300 had the all-weather tires on it too, and it handled just fine in the snow. I'd hate to have to get winter tires for 6 months out of the year just for 2 or 3 snowstorms... Winter tires are LOUD. I just thought there was a simple solution, like maybe a hidden button or programmable code to trick the computer or something. :(

I have to agree the 010 Lexus re-designs are coming out pretty... crappy. Between the 2010 Rx and the 2010 GX, i don't know which one looks worse. I do like the new GX interior though, very "Range Rover" like.

hmm, would that be dangerous to the engine at all? I like the idea of it just as long as it's not harmful. I definitely notice the decrease in mileage too, i notice i've been filling up more often now that it's cold <_<

Hey guys. We're having our first real snowstorm tonight here in RI, and i had the pleasure to drive in it earlier (well, not really...). I started driving when there were about 2-3 inches on the ground, just coming home from my girlfriend's house maybe 10 minutes from mine. On regular roadways, the car handled just fine- actually, surprisingly well. I noticed the skid control or whatever kicked-in on only 2 occasions (as opposed to maybe a million when i had the Rx300) but there was really no need for it. It kept straight and didn't skid out no matter how hard i turned the wheel around corners. Everything was going smoothly until i was forced to stop short while going up a pretty steep hill because of some stupid Honda that was stuck in front of me- with no lights on!! When the guy finally got out of the way, i hit the gas, but NOTHING. It would "try" for about a foot, then just stop, as if i wasn't hitting the gas at all. It wasn't peeling out, it just wasn't putting any power to the wheels no matter how much or little i pressed the gas. I put the car in Reverse, then tried to go forward again, but it did the same thing!! I tried once more, but no difference- it was determined to not allow power to the wheels. I had to back-up into a driveway (or someone's lawn, i couldn't tell...) and accelerate out and floor it up the hill, to which it handled just fine. What's the deal with the computer cutting power when on a slope??? I tried it once more when i was in my driveway (which is also a slope) and it did the same thing- just no power to the wheels. It took about 3 or 4 tries before it gave power to the wheels and got me up the hill. It was a scary thing. The snow was coming down like crazy, i couldn't see anything around me... If there were other cars on the road (besides the Civic that was stuck, poor guy...) it would have been embarrassing and especially dangerous if i couldn't get out of the road. I'm very upset with the AWD system on the Rx400h in snowy conditions on any type of slope. I understand the computer might not allow power to avoid peeling out, but there should be an override button for situations like this. My Rx300 NEVER handled like this- you'd hit the gas, and you'd go. My Rx300 was also AWD, and even had a "snow" button that would make the transmission start in low gear for situations just like this. I believe the 400h should have the same!! One thing about the Rx400h i do like for snowy conditions is the headlight washers. A few sprays and the liquid melts the snow off the headlight lenses and allows some light on the road. It beats having to scrape it off yourself! Anyone else experience this strange loss of power on slopes with the snow? Thanks guys... :(

3 days :( damn... let us know how everything goes <_< That's a long time!

Hmm, i guess it's more of an issue before it's warmed up (which like you said, seems to take a good 15 minutes)... When i start it up after it's been sitting in the cold overnight, this is when i notice the decrease in power. Even though it's in the garage around 40 degrees, i still notice the excess engine noise and power loss. But as soon as it's warmed up it seems normal...

Hey guys. I've had my Rx400h since May, and have recently noticed a change in power now that the outside temperatures are below freezing. It seems that the Rx400h is just SLOW and underpowered now that it's cold out! I hear the engine rev higher than it usually does even with minimal acceleration, but the car doesn't move like it used to when it was warmer out... Anyone find this to be true in their Rx400h? Thanks <_<

There are times when the light comes on without the chime, and other times when the light comes on with the chime. Depends on how hard it's working. Either case means it's working though. I find it doesn't kick in as often and as easily as it did with my Rx300 though...

I've never seen my battery get even into the green unless i force it (there's a method for charging it up by pressing the gas and the brake at the same time in D). Mine usually stays in the 3-4 blue bar range...

did they tell you how long it would take to do the repair?

I've been in... 2 accidents (both my fault) and filed 2 more claims for when i accidentally hit a hydrant and for when my car was keyed, and i've had 3 speeding tickets... all in the past 4 years- and our insurance hasn't increased at all. I guess it depends on the company. If someone else hits you, you have your own insurance company pay the shop for the damages, then they'll go after the other person's insurance company... Pretty sure how it works.